Customizable Garment

ABSTRACT

A customizable garment adapted to cover the upper body of the wearer. The customizable garment includes a sheet of fabric having an opening thereon through which a user may insert his or her head. The sheet of fabric preferably includes a diamond shape, but the sheet may include various other configurations. The sheet includes a front panel to be worn over the chest of the user, and a rear panel to be worn on the user&#39;s back. In this way, the garment can be easily adorned and removed, and does not require a user to insert his or her arms through openings or sleeves on the garment. A turtleneck or hood portion can be removably secured to the opening on the garment. Fringes may be removably secured to the perimeter of the front or rear panel in order to customize the appearance of the garment as desired by the user.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/019,482 filed on Jul. 1, 2014. The above identified patentapplication is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety toprovide continuity of disclosure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a customizable garment. The garmentcomprises a sheet of fabric having a neck opening through which a usermay insert his or her head. The sheet comprises a front panel adapted tobe positioned over the user's chest and abdomen, and a rear panel thatcovers the user's back. A turtleneck or hood portion can be removably orpermanently secured about the opening, and fringe material can beremovably or permanently secured to the perimeter of the sheet.

Various types of garments exist for keeping a user warm such as scarves,sweaters, and jackets, among others. Scarves can be used to keep aperson's neck warm, but cannot be used to keep the user's upper bodywarm. Sweaters help to keep an individual's upper body warm, butsweaters can be bulky and restrictive. Accordingly, the user must own avariety of different types of garments to suit a particular occasion orto provide a desired level of warmth. Therefore, a customizable garmentthat is versatile and that provides a user with flexibility in how towear the garment is desired.

The present invention provides a customizable garment. The garmentcomprises a sheet of one or more layers of fabric. The sheet can becomposed of various materials, such as cotton or wool, among others, andcan be woven. The sheet comprises a front panel to cover the chest andabdomen of a user, and a rear panel to cover the back of the user. Thesheet includes a neck opening thereon through which a user may inserthis or her head. A turtleneck or hood portion can be removably securedto the neck opening as desired by the user by means of any suitablefasteners, such as zippers, hook and loop fasteners, buttons, or snaps,among others. Further, a fringe portion can be removably secured to theperimeter of the sheet in order to customize the appearance of thegarment. In this way, the present invention provides warmth to the userwithout requiring the user to insert his or her arms into sleeves orother openings on the garment.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Devices have been disclosed in the prior art that relate to garmentsadapted to cover a wearer's neck and upper body. These include devicesthat have been patented and published in patent applicationpublications. These devices generally relate to drapes or dickies foruse in beauty parlors or barber shops. The following is a list ofdevices deemed most relevant to the present disclosure, which are hereindescribed for the purposes of highlighting and differentiating theunique aspects of the present invention, and further highlighting thedrawbacks existing in the prior art.

One such device, U.S. Pat. No. 3,798,674 to Daniel discloses a neck andshoulder covering drape for use during hairstyling. The drape comprisesa U-shaped flat bib and a U-shaped collar portion extending upwardtherefrom. The inner periphery of the bib provides a neck opening, and apair of slits extends from the outer periphery towards the center of theneck opening. Thus, Daniel provides a drape for use during hairstylingand does not provide a customizable garment.

U.S. Pat. No. 1,722,067 to Vaxes discloses a beauty parlor hair anddress protector set. The dress protector includes a jacket or capehaving a collar and an adjusting string thereon. The jacket includes anoverlapping portion which can be secured by snaps. Thus, Vaxes disclosesa cape or jacket for use in beauty parlors and does not provide acustomizable garment.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,778,024 to Randolph discloses a neck protector for useby barbers to prevent hair from falling on the wearer's neck. The neckprotector comprises a circular piece of material having free ends thatcan be overlapped. Further, the device includes a circular openingdefined by a cylindrical member that includes an adhesive to be securedto the wearer's neck. Thus, Randolph discloses a neck protector for useby a person receiving a haircut, and does not disclose a customizablegarment.

U.S. Pat. No. 1,995,760 to Webster discloses a neckcloth and towel for abarber. The device is composed of paper having a transverse slit with aY-shape. The branches of the Y-shape terminate in round openings. Theslit allows the towel to be adjusted around the neck of the wearer.Thus, Webster provides a neckcloth for use by a barber that is composedof paper, and Webster fails to disclose a customizable garment.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,375,261 to Lipke discloses a dickie having a cylindricalshape with a neck opening on the upper end thereof. An intermediateportion of the device has a conical shape. A lower portion of the devicehas a body opening with an enlarged diameter. Thus, Lipke discloses adickie having a cylindrical construction and fails to disclose acustomizable garment.

Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,950,236 to Andrew et al. discloses a device forcollecting hair clippings. The device includes a collar to be positionedon a wearer's neck having a surface on which hair clippings can becaught. The surface has an adhesive coating for the purpose of catchingthe hair clippings. Thus, Andrew et al. discloses a device forcollecting hair and does not disclose a customizable garment.

These prior art devices have several known drawbacks. The devicesdisclosed in the prior art are generally related to capes and collars tobe worn while the wearer is having their hair cut or styled. Thus, thedevices in the prior art do not provide a wearable garment, and areinstead related to shielding a user's neck and upper body from exposureto hair clippings and water or shampoo. The devices in the prior art donot provide customizable garments that can be worn in different ways andare instead focused on fitting tightly to a user's neck or covering thechest and shoulder region of the wearer.

In light of the devices disclosed in the prior art, it is submitted thatthe present invention substantially diverges in design elements from theprior art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the artfor an improvement to existing customizable garments. In this regard theinstant invention substantially fulfills these needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types ofcustomizable garments now present in the prior art, the presentinvention provides a new customizable garment wherein the same can beutilized for providing convenience for the user when dressing forvarious weather and occasions.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new andimproved customizable garment device that has all of the advantages ofthe prior art and none of the disadvantages.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a customizablegarment having a front panel to cover a user's chest, a rear panel tocover a user's back, and a circular opening through which a user caninsert his or her head.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a customizablegarment having a hood or turtleneck portion removably securable around acircular neck opening thereon.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a customizablegarment having fringes removably securable to the perimeter thereof.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a customizablegarment that may be readily fabricated from materials that permitrelative economy and are commensurate with durability.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

Although the characteristic features of this invention will beparticularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and mannerin which it may be made and used may be better understood after a reviewof the following description, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout.

FIG. 1 shows a top-down view of an embodiment of the customizablegarment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a view of an embodiment of the customizable garment of thepresent invention having removable portions.

FIG. 3A shows a front view of a user wearing the customizable garment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 3B shows a rear view of a user wearing the customizable garment ofthe present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like referencenumerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similarelements of the customizable garment. For the purposes of presenting abrief and clear description of the present invention, the preferredembodiment will be discussed as used for providing a user with aversatile garment that can be worn in various configurations so as toprovide a user with a desired appearance and a desired amount of warmth.The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should notbe considered to be limiting in any respect.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a top-down view of anembodiment of the customizable garment of the present invention, and aview of an embodiment of the customizable garment of the presentinvention having removable portions, respectively. The customizablegarment 11 of the present invention includes a sheet of material orfabric. The customizable garment 11 may be composed of various fabrics,such as cotton, polyester, or wool, among others. Further, thecustomizable garment 11 may be knitted.

The sheet of material comprises a front panel 12, a rear panel 13, and acircular opening 14 through which a user may insert his or her head. Thefront panel 12 is adapted to cover the user's chest and abdomen. Therear panel 13 is adapted to extend behind the user so as to cover aportion of the user's back. The rear panel 13 is preferably equal inlength to the front panel. In alternate embodiments of the presentinvention, the rear panel 13 is shorter in length than the front panel12. In the illustrated embodiment, the front panel 12 and rear panel 13each comprise a triangular shape that tapers to a point at an endthereof. Thus, the sheet resembles a diamond. In alternate embodiments,the front and rear panels 12, 13 may instead comprise a rectangularshape, semi-circular shape, or various other shapes.

The perimeter of the front panel 12 and the rear panel 13 includesfringes 16 permanently affixed thereon. The fringes 16 extend outwardfrom the edges of the front panel 12 and rear panel 13 and provide adecorative appearance to the customizable garment 11 of the presentinvention. The fringes 16 may be disposed on the entirety of theperimeter of the front panel 12 and rear panel 13 or only on a portionthereof. Alternatively, the fringe 16 is removably attachable to theperimeter 19 of the front panel 12 and rear panel 13, as shown in FIG.2. In such embodiments, the fringe 16 includes an elongated strip 17having fasteners 18 thereon adapted to engage with fasteners 20 on theperimeter 19 of the front and rear panels 12, 13. In the illustratedembodiment of FIG. 2, the fasteners 18, 20 are shown as button-snaps,however the fasteners 18, 20 can include hook and loop fasteningmaterial, zippers, or buttons, among others.

The circular opening 14 is adapted to allow a user to insert his or herhead therethrough. The circular opening 14 may include a neck covering,such as a turtleneck 15 or hood, permanently secured to the perimeterthereof. The turtleneck 15 is adapted to keep a user's neck warm. Theturtleneck 15 includes a circular ring of fabric disposed around thecircular opening 14. In alternate embodiments as shown in FIG. 2, theturtleneck 15 or hood may be removably securable to the opening 14 bymeans of fasteners 21 on the perimeter of the opening 14 and fasteners22 on a lower portion of the turtleneck 15. The fasteners 21, 22 mayinclude button-snaps, hook and loop fastening material, zippers, orbuttons, among others similar fasteners.

Referring now to FIGS. 3A and 3B, there are shown front and rear viewsof a user wearing the customizable garment of the present invention,respectively. The customizable garment 11 of the present invention canbe easily adorned and removed from the user. The user may insert his orher head through the circular opening 14 thereon. The front panel 12 ispositioned so as to cover the user's chest and abdomen, whereas the rearpanel 13 is positioned so as to cover the user's back. The turtleneck 15can be used to warm the user's neck or can be folded downward. Further,the front and rear panel 12, 13 include a plurality of fringes 16thereon for providing a decorative appearance to the customizablegarment 11. In alternate embodiments having removable fringes andturtleneck portions, the user can decide whether to attach either orboth of the fringe and turtleneck portion. In alternate embodiments ahood portion can be permanently or removably secured about the opening14.

It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown anddescribed in what is considered to be the most practical and preferredembodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be madewithin the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications willoccur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the abovedescription then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensionalrelationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations insize, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assemblyand use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in theart, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in thedrawings and described in the specification are intended to beencompassed by the present invention.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of theprinciples of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications andchanges will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is notdesired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operationshown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications andequivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of theinvention.

I claim: 1) A customizable garment, comprising: a sheet of material having a front panel adapted to cover a portion of a user's chest, wherein said front panel is connected to a rear panel that is adapted to cover a portion of a user's back; an opening on said sheet of material adapted to receive a user's head therethrough; a neck covering disposed around said opening on said sheet of material; a fringe portion disposed on a perimeter of said sheet of material. 2) The customizable garment of claim 1, wherein said front panel comprises a triangular shape such that said front panel tapers to a point at a lower end thereof. 3) The customizable garment of claim 1, wherein said rear panel comprises a triangular shape such that said rear panel tapers towards a point at a lower end thereof. 4) The customizable garment of claim 1, wherein said fringe portion is removably securable to said sheet of material. 5) The customizable garment of claim 1, wherein said front panel and said rear panel are substantially the same shape. 6) The customizable garment of claim 1, wherein said front panel comprises a rectangular shape. 7) The customizable garment of claim 1, wherein said rear panel comprises a rectangular shape. 8) The customizable garment of claim 1, wherein said neck covering is removably securable about said opening. 9) The customizable garment of claim 1, wherein said neck covering is a turtleneck. 